Best Friend to Imprint
by StephHoechlin94
Summary: CONTINUATION OF 'HOWLING IN THE MOONLIGHT'. PLEASE READ THAT FIRST OR YOU MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND THIS. This is the journery of Steph and Jacob's relationship once he returns from his disappearance, but will Steph's mother be willing to let him back into their lives as easily as her daughter? Or will the hauntings of past incidents be too much for her to forget?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"You seem happy this morning." My mum remarked as I walked into the kitchen. I smiled and jumped up to sit on the counter, making her raise her eyebrows. "And I thought I heard you talking to someone last night, around midnight when you should have been asleep madam."

"I'm happy because I was talking to my best friend last night."

"Best friend? I thought Jacob was your best friend, but you lost contact with him for some reason." She frowned slightly.

"Don't frown, you'll get wrinkles." I commented, making her playfully smack the back of my head. "Yeah, but, something happened a couple days ago." I smiled, twirling my hair as I spaced out a little, remembering the incident that had happened. The night I found out Jacob was a part of the Quileute legend and he was the wolf that visited me, then that I was his imprint.

"And this something is?" She stared at me expectantly.

"About to come through the front door now." I smiled, hearing the front door to our house open. I jumped off the counter and hurried into the hallway, seeing Jacob standing there. He grinned and caught me as I threw myself at him.

"Hey." He chuckled quietly by my ear, kissing my cheek.

"I missed you." I whispered. "And my mum's probably about to walk out here."

"I missed you too, even if I did only see you early this morning." He laughed lightly. "Is she gonna strangle me? I overheard her threats a couple years back when I started visiting you at night."

"She may, but I'll protect you." I smiled up at him as he was nearly a good foot taller than me. He chuckled and I turned around so my back was to him as my mother came out into the hallway. She stopped and stared at the boy behind me as I smiled innocently.

"I am going to strangle you! Do you know what you put my daughter through? Three whole years of depression and crying herself to sleep!" my mum screeched. I reached back and grabbed the sides of his jeans in my fists as I kept my ground in front of him.

"Mum!" I exclaimed. "It's okay, he had good reason to. Plus he was never really that far away."

"Are you kidding me? You're defending him when he's the reason why you had therapy?" I cringed and felt Jacob tense up behind me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know me leaving would have that effect." He said quietly. "But I didn't want to hurt her; I would never do it intentionally."

"Apologising won't bring back the three years of her life that she's lost moping after you." My mum stated firmly.

"Mum, remember how happy I was this morning?" She turned her heated gaze to me and nodded. "That was because of Jacob. I found him the other night and we've been in contact since. He was in my room last night, that's why you heard talking." I said quietly.

"Your room? How did he get there? I lock the front door at night." She frowned.

"I, uh, came through her window." Jake replied.

"But that's twenty foot off the ground." A look passed over her face. "You're eighteen, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am."

"That means you were fifteen when you left. You shifted didn't you? That's why you left, you didn't have control then." I tilted my head up to see Jacob nod. "I suppose I can't really blame you then, but I really want to."

"I wouldn't hold it against you if you did." He said, gently prying my fingers from his jeans.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave Jacob; I don't want you coming back."

"No!" I exclaimed, latching onto Jacob before he could move. "I'll start it up again." I threatened, looking at my mother. "If you make him leave, I'll be worse than before." My mother's expression turned pained as she glanced at my arms before looking back at my face.

"Please don't sweetheart. I nearly lost you last time." She said quietly. I kept my face firm and she sighed. "Jacob, you can stay, but please, don't hurt her again. I can't bear to see a repeat of what happened." She walked back into the kitchen and I felt Jake shift slightly, making me look up at him.

"What exactly happened when I left?" he asked, looking at me. I bit the inside of my lip and averted my eyes from his.

"Nothing good." I replied. I felt his hand on my face and he turned my head back to face him.

"Tell me." He pleaded. "I don't want any more secrets between us."

I sighed and grabbed his hand, slipping my feet into my shoes by the front door, before taking him outside.

"I don't want to make you feel bad." I said softly as he linked his hand with mine.

"Just say it, it's my fault anyway. I left and didn't think how it would have affected you."

"When you left, I spent six months looking for you. After the sixth month passed, my mum finally had enough and made me stop searching; saying that I was never going to find you and that I should just let it go. My grades started going down and a few people began bullying me as I slipped into depression, the only way I found that dulled the pain was to…cut. On my left arm and thighs." I whispered, blinking back the tears that had formed in my eyes and feeling Jacob's grip tighten on my hand. "My mum knocked on the bathroom door when I was in there and I froze, thinking I was going to get caught in the act; so I panicked and I slipped, making me go too deep in my wrist. She had to take me to the hospital because I wouldn't stop bleeding. Then the doctors obviously knew what I was doing, so they booked me into therapy; I had that for nearly two years. I couldn't get rid of the pain and slipped back into cutting a few times while I was there. I was so desperate sometimes, that I would even do it in the clinic bathrooms."

"How did you stop then?" Jacob asked quietly. I glanced up at him and saw tears had formed in his dark eyes, making me look away from him again.

"My therapist had found a photo of me and you and showed me it during the session. She literally screamed at me saying what the boy in the picture would think if he saw me cutting, would he be disgusted, disappointed, ashamed of being my friend? It seems harsh, but it worked. I couldn't bear to think what your reaction would be if you saw me then, so I forced myself to stop and used a rubber band instead. So if I ever felt the need to do it, I'd just ping the band around my wrist."

Jacob stopped walking and sat down beside a tree, bringing me down with him.

"Can I see?" he asked softly. I chewed on my bottom lip and he tilted my face up to look at him. "Please, let me see."

I sighed and pulled the sleeve of my shirt up to my elbow, exposing the pink horizontal scars that lined halfway up my forearm; the paleness of my skin making them more noticeable. Jacob's large hand reached out and he lightly ran his fingers over the ridges that permanently disfigured the inside of my arm. A few seconds later I found myself being held tightly against his chest as he hugged me.

"Please never do this again." He whispered. "I promise, I'll never leave you again; just don't hurt yourself anymore." His voice sounded pained and I saw more unshed tears in his eyes.

"I stopped five months ago, that was when the doctor dug into my personal life when I was younger and kept bringing you up. You're the reason I stopped, even though I thought I would never see you again, knowing that you were still out there somewhere made me feel ashamed about what I was doing." I found myself crying as I saw the tears spill from Jacob's chocolate eyes and he held me tighter to him as I buried my face in his shoulder. "All I wanted was my best friend back."

"I'm here to stay, I'll be whatever you want me to be." He whispered into my hair as he held me. "Just promise me you'll never hurt yourself again."

"I promise." I murmured, hooking my pinkie finger around his as we sat beneath the old tree we used to climb when we were younger.

* * *

**So, i got a few requests of making 'Howling in the Moonlight' a longer story; so here's the first chapter :) The updating may be a little slow as i have to write more of the chapters, but i just wanted to get this one out so i can get some feedback on whether to continue this. So, please review and give me your thoughts, it would be much appreciated :) x**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

My bedroom door creaked open slowly just as I got into bed and I looked over to see my mother come into my room. She came over and sat on the end of my bed, looking at me.

"Sweetie, I want to be honest with you." She said softly. "I don't like that you've allowed Jacob into your life this easy, all the things he led you to do, how can you do that?"

"He's still my best friend mum. And, I'm his imprint." I saw tears fill her eyes, which were the same colour blue as mine.

"I was hoping that wouldn't happen." She whispered. "I didn't want you getting caught up in the legends, that's why I was reluctant to let you go to the bonfires. I didn't want you to mix yourself in with it."

"It's too late mum, I have Jake back and I'm not letting him leave anytime soon. He promised me he wouldn't leave again so I wouldn't cut." I saw her wince.

"I wish you wouldn't throw the word around like that."

"What? How do you want me to say it? I used to cut, big deal. I still use the rubber band thing now and then." I shrugged.

"It is a 'big deal', you nearly killed yourself! How would you feel if your only daughter killed herself because of some stupid boy?"

"Jacob is not stupid." I said slowly, scowling. "If you can't deal with him then keep the comments to yourself because I don't want to hear them anymore." She stood and walked back over to the door.

"You're only fifteen; you don't know what you're doing yet. All you have is a petty crush, you know nothing of love."

"I didn't say I was in love with him. I'm making him my best friend again, then we'll see what happens from there." I stated. "Goodnight mother." She shut the door without another word and I as left in the darkness of my room as tears filled my eyes.

It was times like these, when I got into arguments with my mother and she'd leave me that I felt like grabbing the razor again. I itched the inside of my left wrist and quickly grabbed my phone, texting Jacob before leaning back against my headboard; looking at my open window.

A few minutes later Jacob swung through the window and landed softly in my room, coming over as he spotted me in bed. He dropped down beside me and I immediately latched onto him, burying my face into his warm chest.

"My mum doesn't like the fact you're back, she wants you to leave so I can be how I was. I don't want you to go, it may only be a few days since you've come back but I'm happier than I have been in years." I cried quietly as his large hand came up to rub my back gently.

"I can avoid your mother if you want, but I can't leave you again. It'll hurt too much; for the both of us."

"Jacob." I sniffed, tilting my head up a little to see his face. "Can we focus on being best friends again for now? I do love you, I always have. But right now I need you more as what we used to be."

"I'm whatever you need me to be. As long as I'm close to you and you're safe, nothing else matters to me." He said softly, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

What neither of us realised was that my mother had never left, she'd stayed put just outside my bedroom door; listening in. She wiped her cheeks as tears fell from her ice coloured eyes, sending up a quick prayer to my father saying that if he were listening; to look out for me when she couldn't.

"Please look after her, I don't want to lose my only child; she's the only thing I have left in this world. I will try and accept Jacob back, but, I don't want him to hurt her again. I can't bear to think what the consequence would be this time." She whispered before slowly walking away to her own bedroom, crying softly as she went.

/

"Mama?" I knocked softly on her bedroom door, only hearing silence as my response. "Mum, are you even in there?" I said louder, cracking the door open a little to peer inside the dark room. I saw her figure in bed and frowned a little, she was never this late of a sleeper. I slipped into the room and gently shook her by the shoulder. "Mama, it's time to get up. It's eleven." I called quietly. "Mum?" I shook her harder as she didn't respond.

I started panicking and flicked the light switch on so I could see. My eyes widened as I looked down to the pale form of my mother and seeing the small bottle of sleeping pills she used to help her sleep beside her on the table. I knew that was a new bottle, I was there when she picked it up, and now there was quite a few missing; more than there should have been. I made a sound of distress and threw the bed sheets off her, manuvering her into the recovery position. I ran over and opened her room window, leaning my top half out of it.

"Jacob!" I screamed, hoping he would hear me as he had only just left. "Jake, help!" I saw him come running back down the street and hurried back over to my mother, picking up the phone she kept in her room.

"Steph?!" Jacob yelled as I heard the front door slam open and heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. "What's wrong?" I had the phone up to my ear as he came into the room, stopping once he saw my mother motionless on the bed.

"I need an ambulance, I think my mother took too many of her sleeping pills." I sniffed as I got through to the emergency services. I rambled off my address and nearly threw the phone across the room as I hung up, moving back to the bed. "Jake, what do I do?" I cried.

"You've done what you can, you have to wait for the ambulance." He said softly, pulling me to him once he'd moved into the room. "She's still breathing, she has a chance; though her heartbeat's weak."

"They won't be able to get up the stairs." I sniffed, unwrapping myself from him. Jacob went over and carefully picked up my mother and I quickly grabbed the pill bottle before he followed me downstairs, laying her on the couch in the living room.

"She'll be okay." He said, smoothing my hair off my face and kissing my forehead.

I was in a mild daze as the ambulance arrived and was vaguely aware of Jacob talking to the two men that came in the house. One of them crouched in front of me and I snapped out of it to look at him.

"Do you know what your mother took?" he asked gently. I held the bottle out to him and he took it, reading the label. "It's a form of Benzodiazepine." He stated, standing up and tucking the pill bottle in his pocket. "How old are you sweetheart?"

"Fifteen." I said quietly. "He's eighteen." I pointed to Jacob.

"You can ride with her if he comes with you, you're still underage."

Jacob gently lifted me to my feet and wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked out to the ambulance, him helping me up into the back where my mother was. He sat me on his lap as there was only one other seat and I laced my fingers with Jacob's warm hand while my other held tightly onto my mother's cold one, reassuring myself that she was still there as the ambulance began to speed away with its siren wailing.

* * *

**So, i mananged to get a second chapter out :) By the way Benzodiazepine is a higher risked type of sleeping pill, incase any of you were wondering. Please leave a review telling me what you think x**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

I was sat sideways across Jacob's lap with my head resting on his shoulder as his arms held me securely to him. I felt a large hand over mine, successfully preventing me from snapping the rubber band against my wrist, and tensed slightly.

"Please don't do that, I know what it means." He said softly. I lifted my arms up and hugged his waist, fisting his shirt in my hands for something to hold on to. A woman in a suit and white lab coat was making her way over and I cringed, seeing it was my therapist.

"Stephanie." I slowly looked up at her. "I've been notified of the recent incident with your mother and was wondering when you wanted your session to be." She said, clicking her pen and hovering it over a clipboard.

"I don't want a session, I finished them four months ago." I deadpanned.

"Well, you have to have one. We don't want you reverting back to old habits." She stated.

"If you actually used your eyes you'd see that the boy I'm sitting on is the one from the picture. So no, I don't want to book a session. Now leave me alone with my best friend, you're not making my situation any better." I felt Jacob gently rubbing my back as his jaw brushed against the top of my head.

"I've been told-"

"No, I don't care what you've been told; you're crap at your job and I'm not having a session with you. You weren't the one that made me better, Jacob was." I stated. "Leave it at that." She was about to open her mouth to say something when Jacob cut her off before she could start.

"If she says she doesn't want to, then I suggest you leave before you cause any more trouble. She's going through a rough patch at the moment and you arguing with her doesn't make it any better." He remarked, holding me closer to his warm body.

"And exactly how old are you? You can only choose her option if you're an adult." She sneered.

"I'm eighteen, and I choose that she gets to make her own decision. She's not incapable, so don't treat her like she is."

"Don't think you're getting out of this." She narrowed her eyes at me before walking back the way she had come, making me pull a face at her once her back was turned. Jacob chuckled and tucked my fringe behind my ear, making me turn my head to look at him.

"Thanks Jacob." I said quietly, looking at his face as he smiled.

"I know you're not incapable of making your own decisions, because I know you." He replied, pressing his forehead to mine. He rubbed the tip of his nose against mine in an Eskimo kiss and I felt a smile tug at my lips.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" I whispered, seeing his face soften.

"She'll be fine, she has you to bring her through this." I saw a doctor walking over to us and tightened my grip on Jacob's shirt as my hands turned to fists.

"Stephanie Burchell?" I nodded and he looked back at Jacob behind me. "Jacob." I felt Jake tense slightly as he nodded and the doctor looked satisfied. "I'm happy to inform you that your mother is doing fine, we had to pump her stomach to get rid of the overdose poisoning; but apart from that all she needs is rest and fluids which is why we currently have her on a drip. However, we need to know why she did this. Do you think it was accidental or deliberate?" he asked, peering over the top of his glasses at me as he perched on the edge of the table in front of us.

"I don't think it was deliberate." I said quietly, twisting my fingers into Jacob's shirt. "Um, the past couple days she's been really stressed and I think she may have just forgotten that she'd already taken them for bed. After what happened with me, she wouldn't do it on purpose; she thinks it's her duty to look after me and inspect every little thing that I do. So she wouldn't leave willingly."

"I can understand that, do you know what has gotten her so uptight though?" he asked, scribbling notes down onto a piece of paper clipped onto a clipboard. He seemed nicer than the other lady I had for a therapist.

"Um, she doesn't really like someone that come back into my life; she says I've forgiven too easily and she's scared I'm going to get hurt again as I'm still underage." I replied softly, casting my gaze down to my feet that dangled just over the top of Jake's.

"And how does she think you're going to get hurt?"

"Numerous ways." I sighed. "She's frightened that he'll hurt me or leave again and I'll be worse than last time."

"So he's male, Jacob, I'm sorry to ask but does this have anything to do with you?"

"No, it's not Jacob's fault! It's mine, I argued with her the night before!" I leant forward as I defended Jacob, only to feel him pull me back and rest his chin on the top of my head.

"Steph, don't worry. Carlisle knows about what I am, that's why he asked." I looked on confused as I let my gaze drift towards the blonde haired pale doctor sitting in front of me. "I left Steph about three years ago when I shifted for the first time so I didn't hurt her, but I guess I did; just not in the way I thought I would have if I stayed. But you should know that, seeing as you have access to the files." Carlisle nodded and I felt Jake's chest move as he sighed. "Her mother knows and she's still weary of me, she thinks that I'm not good for Steph and wants me gone. But if I did leave again, I'll hurt Steph worse than before as well as hurting myself."

"You've imprinted." Carlisle said softly, making Jacob nod. "I'm sorry Jacob; everything seems to always tilt downwards for you."

"Tell me about it." Jake grumbled. "I don't want Steph to lose her mother because of me, but I don't want to lose Steph because of her mother. It's always so complicated."

"I can talk with your mother if you like? I have to question her anyway about the incident, I can bring it up then when I ask why." He said softly, looking at me with topaz coloured eyes. I cracked my ankle sideways in a nervous habit as I glanced down at my feet before nodding.

"I just want her to understand." I said quietly, fingering the rubber band around my wrist before pinging it sharply. I felt Jacob flinch before his large hand grabbed mine, stopping me from doing it again. Carlisle glanced at me with sad eyes.

"I know it's hard Stephanie, but you have to try and stop doing that. I admit it's not as bad for you, but the intention is still there." He said softly. "You may have to have another session if that carries on."

"Not with her!" I exclaimed. "You should see how she treats her patients, she yells at them and doesn't sympathise. She's horrible." I felt myself pout as I looked at Jacob's hand in my lap. "I wouldn't mind if it was you, you're nicer than her."

"I'll see what I can do, maybe you could meet with me here in my office for a couple hours each week." I nodded.

"Anything is better than her, and I think you'd help me more. You already have now."

/

"What do you think she's gonna do when she wakes up?" I asked quietly, looking down at my sleeping mother in the hospital bed while I held both of Jacob's hands.

"I really don't know, but I should probably leave the room when she does." He replied, kissing the back of my head as I was sitting on his lap again.

"I wish you didn't have to." I said softly, feeling his fingers tighten around my own.

"I know, but it's best for now." He replied, rubbing the backs of my hands lightly with his thumbs. "Just until Carlisle talks with her, I don't want to make her worse."

"You said Carlisle knows what you are, how does he?" I asked quietly. I felt Jacob sigh and he twisted his fingers around my own.

"He's a lee-, sorry, vampire." He whispered, correcting himself from saying something else. "He's one of the Cullens, the ones the old Quileute tribe made a truce with."

"What were you going to call him before you said vampire? But doesn't that mean he eats blood, why is he working in a hospital? Is he gonna kill my mother?!" Jacob's hand came up and his fingers pressed against my mouth to stop me rambling.

"I was going to say leech, we don't like them. He does, but his family consider themselves 'vegetarians' cause they only consume animal blood. He works in a hospital because he wants to help people and no, he won't kill your mother; he's had control of his thirst for years." He answered in order of the rapid quick fire questions I had asked in my slight panic. I was silent for a minute, letting what he said sink in before turning my head a little to look back at him.

"Are you sure?" His face softened as he must have seen the expression on mine and he tenderly tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear that had come loose of the ponytail I had put it into.

"Yeah, I'm sure." I replied softly, kissing my forehead before looking around me to the bed my mother was in. "I should go, she's coming round."

I sighed and slid off his lap so he could stand up. He kissed the top of my head before slipping from the room just as my mother's eyes opened. She turned her head and saw me staring at her, an ashamed look appearing on her face.

"Sweetheart…"

"Why would you do this? I thought you'd killed yourself when I found you this morning."

"Now you know how I felt when you were in this predicament." She said softly.

"I cut, I didn't pop pills." I stated, crossing my arms. "And that's it? You did this to make a point? To make me feel what you did when I nearly died?" I questioned. "That's sick; I didn't think you'd sink so low, especially when the situation isn't as bad as you make it out to be. As a matter of fact, Jacob's the one that helped me save you."

"You have to understand where I'm coming from." She said, sitting herself up to look at me sternly.

"No, I'm talking to you anymore until Carlisle is finished with you. Goodnight mother, I'm tired and I getting Jacob to take me home." I said. "And I don't know why, but I still love you."

"I love you too." She whispered before I left the room, walking straight into Jacob's arms.

"Take me home please?" I asked, looking up at him.

"You sure?" I nodded and he lifted me up so I was on his back and held onto my thighs to keep me there as I loosely looped my arms around his neck. I saw Carlisle making his way down the hall towards us and Jake waited for him to get here.

"Are you leaving?" he asked me. I nodded and fiddled with the neckline of Jacob's shirt.

"I can't talk to her without you going first." I replied. "She's annoyed me at the moment and she's only been awake for less than five minutes." Carlisle nodded.

"I'll talk with her now, but you have to come back tomorrow."

"I will." He nodded and motioned that we could go before stepping into my mother's hospital room.

"What did she say to annoy you?" Jake asked as he walked out of the hospital.

"I'll tell you when we get home." I sighed. "She has a sick mind." I muttered, leaning my head on the back of his and letting my eyes slip shut.

* * *

**Sorry about the really slow updates for this story :S Please leave a review letting me know if you guys want this tory to continue and about what you think about it so far x**


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